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Here's How The Time's Up Legal Defense Fund Actually Works

Sunday, March 11, 2018

Here's How The Time's Up Legal Defense Fund Actually Works

"In a small conference room in Washington, D.C., a handful of lawyers and paralegals — most of them in their 20s — process applications coming in to the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund.

Hollywood has put its muscle behind the Time’s Up campaign to fight sexual harassment and discrimination. One of its goals is to help defray the legal costs for women who’ve been sexually harassed. (Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes and Oprah Winfrey are among those who’ve donated hundreds of thousands of dollars.)

The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund has reached $21 million, and more than 1,800 women from across the country have asked for help. The fund is being handled by the National Women’s Law Center, and it works kind of like a matchmaking service that pairs alleged victims with local attorneys.

One of the women who requested help works at a grocery store in Seattle. (For privacy reasons, she asked that we not use her name.) She says that for months, she was harassed by a man who worked for a vendor; it started with unwanted compliments and requests to go out..."